Pandemonium Roulette
by L Boogie
Summary: Fate, Chance, and Destiny. Such a cruel game is played with these ideals. With their hearts at stake, can Harima, Eri, and Yakumo afford to lose? The time to spin that awful wheel is here, and in this game, the losers are many, and the winners are few...
1. Prologue: Place Your Bets

The L Boogie: Hey. I'm back…sorta. Thought I'd finally get some of this posted. Just a short prologue, as I'm looking to build up for this. I'm gonna really try to dig deep with this one, as I'm going to do the full blown love triangle that we all love and hate so much. May see some slightly darker themes as well, and I'm hoping to pull out even more stops.

I'm considering an M rathing for (possibly immediate) future chapters. I would love some feedback on this thought. I've just decided that I'm a bit tired of these girls playing a bit too nice, and want them to be seen more as women. So there may be a bit of OoCness, but I think it will be negligible/warranted.

Anyhow, that's all I've got for now. Please enjoy!

Legal Crapola: I don't own the characters. I don't own the setting (sort of…). Mainly though, the characters. However the ones no one recognizes are likely mine, and otherwise, this story is purely mine as well. But if someone wants to sue me, then bring it on! I don't have any money anyways, so I don't have anything left to lose! WAHAA!

Pandemonium Roulette: A School Rumble Fan Fiction

Prologue: Place Your Bets…

Fate.

Chance.

Destiny.

These are three of a myriad of terms all used to describe that constant force in this universe that pushes and pulls all things to it's own whims. No matter how hard we try, this ever present and seemingly godlike force toys with our lives, tempting us with golden trinkets and shining charms, and tortures those who would attempt to make claim on such ambitions. This being, who is both fickle and kind, greets every thing in this vast universe in the same manner, and is without prejudice. It tends to take pleasure in the struggles of Man especially, for Man will gamble and stake everything on a single bet.

If he wins, he may be rewarded however he please. Riches, fortune, fame, and especially love. These are what all of Mankind aspires for. What all Man wants, and will take their chance to play against the odds with this encompassing force. Someone who can win this game will come out stronger, and can stand as a King amongst his people, almost truly thought to be divine.

However, for such high rewards, there must be an equal price to pay. The greater the reward, the higher the cost, and the further the fall. Money, reputation, and even lives have been spent in such a ridiculous gamble, and even if the odds seem in your favor, this enigmatic force may simply wish to bear witness to some unfortunate souls fall from grace.

For someone to place such a gamble, they must be either desperate, determined, or confident. And now, today we have a new set of players, all three eager to step up and spin the wheel of their fate.

Harima Kenji, who is an aspiring Manga Artist, is eager to step his career up to the next level. Wishing only to create that which dwells in his heart and soul, he yearns for admiration and respect from his peers. More so, he pines as his affections for a certain young woman have been fully rejected, so he hangs his head in shame. However, he still believe that there is someone out there for him, and is no stranger to this sometimes sadistic game of chance.

Sawachika Eri, a young heiress to a vast fortune. Her family has business ties to all manner of industries, and they're often hailed as one of the most powerful groups on the planet. But despite her outward appearances, she is a lonely young woman who longs for the man she has fallen in love with to look at her, even just once. She fights to change the fact that they could never seemingly be together due to the destiny of her social position.

Tsukamoto Yakumo, a beautiful and talented young girl. Adored by so many and admired by her peers, she is seemingly a goddess sent to this earth. Despite her near perfection however, she is wrought by a power that is both a blessing and a curse. To hear the thoughts of all those who love her, and yet cannot seem to hear the thoughts of the one she truly loves. As time passes, her feelings begin to overwhelm her, and the need to be seen as a woman by the man she loves grows by the second. Now, she too will step up and attempt to change her fate.

These three unfortunate souls, who are victims of their own actions, and of each other, are tied together by this game. Together, they will spin the wheel and place their bets…hoping, praying, and pleading with all their might that their wish may be granted.

Unfortunately…there must be losers in this game. And when your heart is the wager, losing could be dangerous.


	2. Catch My Fall: A New Lease on Love!

The L Boogie: Yay for reviews, and it's only a prologue! Thank you Chepelos for your continued patronage. I will do my best not to let anyone down with this.

A short one here. I thought I'd dedicate a short chapter to getting this ball rolling. With the mood set, I now have to break this man free of his chains! Off! Off with the shackles of a broken man! Now run free my kindred brother!

…Okay…so I'll admit that I'm kind of a weirdo…

Taking a moment, I'd like to clarify the M rating situation. I'm not humongous on Lemons (thus I've never written one, though I've read a few and liked less). I like lemonade, or oranges, limes, citrus fruit, even red grapefruits. Yeah…red grapefruit. So I was planning to gear up towards a red grapefruit than an all out lemon. No uber graphic descriptions, depictions of ridiculousness and etc. Just some this, that, definitely the other, and some rough housing. Think of it as teaser situations, which I think this chapter will have (and I'll leave it T for the moment as I don't think that this is going to be THAT awful…we all know what teenagers think about anyhow…

But all that is open for discussion. Feel free to send me a personal message with questions and comments in regards to it, or just spit it out in the review for all I care. But none the less, I just want to make sure that this story get's the treatment it deserves, and I'd hate to make it M rated and thusly force out those who love School Rumble and have an aversion to lemons or other graphical sex situations.

Hmmm…I can't think of anything else to say, other than that part of this story was inspired by a great song by Billy Idol called Catch my Fall, and I had given thought to write it as a one shot, but then figured it would be better to incorporate it into this story.

Anyhow, ENJOY!

Legal Crapola: I don't own the characters. I don't own the setting (sort of…). Mainly though, the characters. However the ones no one recognizes are likely mine, and otherwise, this story is purely mine as well. But if someone wants to sue me, then bring it on! I don't have any money anyways, so I don't have anything left to lose! WAHAA!

Pandemonium Roulette: A School Rumble Fan Fiction

Chapter 1: Catch My Fall, A New Lease on Love!

" Tenma…" he started, his head hung low and his right fist clenched to the point that his bones began to groan.

His posture completely slouched and his glasses having fallen from his face, unmasking his eyes in a rare moment, Harima Kenji stood over the petite framed Tenma Tsukamoto. Her back was to the wall, beside the hospital door where Kurasuma had been staying. His one arm supported his whole body weight against the wall, sitting just over her shoulder. The young man's body quaked, his breath stuttered, and tears began to drip off the end of his chin.

" TENMA…" he stated again, raising his voice to try and put words to his feels through force.

Harima's body continued to quake. His mind was racing and he knew what he had to say and what his answer would be. Still, he had to do this. He HAD to do this. How could he ever look himself in the mirror if he couldn't. Still, the thought seemed to terrify him. Unable to look at his forlorn love, he glanced away to the window on the door to Karasuma's room. Catching his own reflection, he could only feel disgust.

_Look at you Kenji…look at how sad you look…_

His eyes began to flare with a sense of anger, but before it could peak, he felt a pair of small, gentle hands clasp his face, and pull his gaze back to her own.

" It's okay Harima…just let it out…" she encouraged with a smile.

He inhaled a vast amount of air, and after holding it for a couple of seconds, he exhaled it through nose, to clear his head and regain his composure. Straightening up, he gave a very timid smile as he looked down upon the small girl.

" Tenma…I'm in love with you." he confessed in an exasperated whisper tone.

" Thank you Harima…and I'm really happy to hear you say that. But…I'm in love with Karasuma. And I want to be there for him when he gets better. To help him get his memories back, and to finally show him how much I really care." she responded.

" I know." Harima admitted through a grin.

Her eyes seemed to smile back, and so did the rest of her face. Taking a moment, she embraced the known delinquent, who was feared far and wide by both juveniles and adults. After a moments passing, she pressed her arms against his chest to make a wider space. Kneeling down, she plucked his trademark shades up off the ground, and gingerly slid them back on his face.

" You have pretty eyes…but the Harima I know wears these, and he's a big tough guy who protects everyone, and tries his best because he cares." she giggled softly.

He returned her smile with a slightly wider one of his own. She straightened up while he stood back to allow her to walk back into the room. Standing in the doorway, she turned for just a fleeting moment to impart some final words.

" I hope you find her Harima…because whoever she is, is gonna be a lucky girl." Tenma stated with a wink.

Harima chuckled slightly and waved goodbye to her, then once the door was shut, he could see through the glass, and watched her spout on and on to an unconscious Karasuma about everything in the world, caring not about the fact that he couldn't really hear her. With a brief bow of his head, Harima said a very short and silent prayer for the young man who had won her heart, and wished them well. Turning on his heel, he began to walk down the hall.

His chest finally felt light, and the numbness in his arms and legs began to fade slowly. He held his head up higher as he took a few more steps, when he stopped abruptly and looked up at one of the halogen lamps above his head.

_That right there…white…that's what this feeling is…like being waitless…like…I'm…falling…in love again…_

_Falling in love…with freedom…_

_Falling in love…_

_Falling…._

_Falling?_

_Falling!_

His brain caught up to his surrounding as he realized that his body was lurching backwards way to far for his athletic body to catch himself. He closed his eyes and gave into his sudden exhaustion, likely caused by undue stress. Before hitting, he heard a woman cry his name, and the patter of footsteps raced around the corner.

" HARIMA!"

A few moments later…

Harima opened his eyes, seeing that bright blinding light just above his head again. However, there was something inside. Something was blocking parts of it out, and gave the figure a halo of sorts.

" Please tell me I'm not dead…" he moaned slightly, his vision blurred and his speech slurred.

" Of course not Harima…" the pleasant sounding female spoke.

" Oh…good. Thought I was gonna die just trying to get that weight off my chest…and next thing I know, it might have been what was keeping me from dyin…" Harima stated, his logic all a scatter.

The young woman looked confused at first, but then smiled. He could make out her lips…they were pretty. Her smile lit up his vision, and her voice soothed his nerves. At first he tried to get up, but his body failed him again, and so he allowed himself to slump against the young woman.

" Sorry…I don't…think I'm…gonna…" he trailed off, with his head falling backwards and nestling itself into the young woman's bosom.

" You did good today Harima. And now your free…" she whispered.

Looking around, the young woman was pressed back into the wall. The man laying up against her had her pinned, and after some brief consideration, she just relaxed herself as well, figuring someone would be by to help them out of this predicament.

Still, she continued to stare down at the man in her arms. She ran as fast as she could, hoping to catch his fall and protect him. It was the first time she ever had such an opportunity to have him so close. But another moment of fawning was ruined when he turned just slightly, and nuzzled himself, almost instinctually further into her breasts. As a redness crossed her face, she could do nothing to get him off of her without potentially harming the young man.

Looking off to the side, she allowed a faint smile to trace her lips, relishing that soft static she could hear. Maybe…she could finally have her chance…


	3. New Rules to an Old Game!

The L Boogie: Okay, so…I revised this one just a bit. Just a bit. Mostly I took off some of the stuff in the beginning of it, cause I had an idea that I thought was cool, that I saw someone else do. Then, after some time and a decision to rewrite this…I realized that it's not really in my style to do this. And the person whom which I took the idea off of is, in my opinion, a FAR better writer than I'll ever be. Ever. So…not one of my best ideas. So I edited it out, and did a little tending to this chapter as well. Any who, let's get this crap on the road.

Legal Crapola: If I had a dime for every time I've tried to come up with something witty for my Legal info section…I'd probably be rich. If I got a dime for every one that was witty, I doubt I'd have much more than lint in my pockets. Regardless, I'm poor and sometimes (and currently) broke. So, I'll just say that only the story is mine. Characters and settings are generally owned by Mr. Jin Koboyashi. So there. Now leave me alone, evil blood sucking, money stealing, lawyers…CAN'T GET BLOOD FROM STONE!

**Pandemonium Roulette: A School Rumble Fan Fiction**

**Chapter 2: New Rules to an Old Game**

Here he stood, Harima Kenji, once again facing the class room assignment sheets. The scene from the previous year's debacle played over again in his head, as he fervently searched for Tenma Tsukamoto's name amongst the many rosters. This year however, was different. As opposed to last year, he was now at school all for his own purposes. And also, that Tenma would not be in attendance because of her decision to stay with Karasuma.

As he sauntered up the steps and towards the postings, the crowd cleared way, as most people still feared him, even if his reputation as of late had not been as dubious. From his peripheral vision, he recognized a few people he was in class with previously, though could barely remember their names since they weren't really friends…or ever talked…or really even made much for eye contact. Still though, they were his now former classmates, and he started to wonder slightly if he would have anyone in class with him that he could talk to like before.

With a sigh, he checked the first board. A quick scan, and he didn't see his name. Harima gave a slight grunt, then moved onto the next posting. Class 3-B didn't have his name listed under it's banner either. He scratched his head, realizing there were only 3 more listings to go. There was a small commotion going around the 3-C post, so he wandered over to 3-E, where yet again, he name would go undiscovered. The next closest bored revealed nothing new to himself either, other than that Harry Mackenzie, Tennoji, Masakazu Togo, and Lala Gonzalas had somehow stayed together and were apart of 3-D.

A worry washed over Harima, as he had been certain that he graduated. After all, he wasn't haunted for having poor grades this time around. Admittedly, poor grades and his grades weren't far off from one another, however he did get to graduate to the third year.

" Huh. Guess I must be in 3-C…" he muttered.

The commotion was still going on, and as he pushed and threatened his way through the growing crowd, he began to recognize more and more faces gathered around. They were all chatting with one another, and began to seem puzzled. Finally though, he pushed through the confusion where, in fact, he found his name on the 3-C class roster. His name, as well as everyone else from the previous year. The shock of it almost knocked him off his feet, as this sort of thing was absolutely unprecedented.

" What the hell is going on?" he said aloud.

" Yeah, that's what I'd like to know too." exclaimed a female voice.

He turned and standing just behind him was the blond haired perpetual thorn in his backside, Eri Sawachika.

" Oujo…" he slipped.

They both were quick to remember that they were "engaged" in an odd fashion so that Eri may continue to attend school. And while they were getting along much better than previously, they were still both fallible to the others idiosyncrasies.

" Why do you sound so surprised. I should be the one shocked that you graduated…" fired the blond.

" Hey! For your information, I passed with flying friggin' colors. And why the hell do you care?" Harima shot back.

The pair began to give off killing aura's while they bickered, causing the crowd to clear and give the two space. But sudden intervention dissipated the brief squabble.

" Hey you two. Save the lovers quarrels for behind closed doors. Some of us want to figure out what classroom we're heading to so we won't be late." Mikoto Suou interjected as she pushed past the pair.

In tow behind her was Akira Takino, who wore her usual poker face, though she shot a glance to Harima, then to Eri, and that spoke words enough for the Heiress.

" Jeez, would you guys quit it. It's never gonna be like that." Eri argued.

" Just calling it like it is." Akira jabbed, stepping past as well.

" Well don't waste your time. We're all in 3-C." the blond revealed.

" Really? Like…all of us?" Mikoto questioned in response.

" Yeah, like…all of 2-C…except for maybe Tenma…but I think we all knew that was gonna happen." Eri reasoned, getting nods from the other three.

" So…wait…why would they keep us all in the same class? Doesn't that sound sort of unprecedented?" Mikoto asked, semi rhetorically.

" I think I know…" Akira answered, pointing at the lone man standing atop a nearby wall.

Akira pointed and most in the crowd turned to see Togo standing to his full height and over looking the students below.

" Are you surprised to see me…3-C?" he asked, almost maliciously.

A sudden outburst from a bespectacled young man drew the crowds attention within itself.

" MASAKAZU! YOU HAD A HAND IN THIS, DIDN'T YOU!" exclaimed, accused, and otherwise shouted Haruki Hanai.

" And if I did?" Togo called back in a challenging manner.

" I WON'T LET YOU GET AWAY WITH CORRUPTING THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM FOR YOUR OWN GAINS! WHAT SORT OF PLAN HAVE YOU COME UP WITH NOW?" Hanai questioned vehemently.

And it started with a quiet giggle, but it crescendoed into a full out cackle.

" I told you that the battle wasn't over. Don't you remember graduation?" Togo asked.

The group briefly reminisced about how he had taken a moment to hijack the microphone as the third year representative and to call out the entire graduating class of 2-C, exclaiming that even though they had lost a few battles, 2-D had yet to lose the war.

" You can't mean…" Eri began to say, before being answered by the man himself.

" That's right! The entirety of class 2-C and 2-D have stayed completely intact, so that we may finally settle things…ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Togo bellowed from his pedestal as the crowd just simply gawked from below.

" You've gotta be kidding me…" said Mikoto, her tone quickly deflating.

" VERY WELL! IF IT'S A BATTLE TO THE DEATH YOU WANT MASAKAZU, THEN WE, THE NEWLY FORMED CLASS OF 3-C, ACCEPT YOUR CHALLENGE!" Hanai answered, in a madness all of his own.

" Jeez…you gotta be kidding me…" Harima grumbled, deciding not to stick around for any more antics.

Quickly, the crowd began to disperse, leaving only Togo and Hanai to continue to bicker back and forth in a shouting match. In the meantime, the rest of the students went about their daily routines, checking into lockers and meeting with their friends. Harima, however, just decided to head for his new class room and await the seating arrangements. As he was rounding the second floor staircase, he heard a familiar voice call out for him from behind.

" Harima!" she called, in an almost uncharacteristic manner.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to see Yakumo Tsukamoto standing at the base of the stairs, looking up at him in mid ascent.

" Immouto-san…what's up?" Harima asked warmly, walking back down to where she stood.

" Oh, nothing. I just…hadn't seen you in a little while…that's all." she answered with a slight blush.

" Sorry, I've been really busy with some new story boards. When I get them done, I'd like to bring them by. Maybe this weekend?" he asked.

She smiled a bit more, enjoying the fact that he seemed to want to meet up with her for the weekend. But once she saw her blush and smile reflected back in his sunglasses, she felt somewhat embarrassed and shook off the look.

" Sure. That would be fine." she answered him.

" Good, cause this new thing I'm working on is gonna be great. Oh yeah, how are you getting along now that Tenma's gone? Are you alright living alone in that big house?" Harima asked with genuine concern.

" I guess I haven't told you. My friend Sara is staying with me now. It's not too far from the church she goes too, and it's pretty close to school, so it works well for both of us." Yakumo explained.

" Well, if you're happy, then that's all that matters…" he said.

A quick glance at her watch caused her brow to perk in slight alarm, and she gave a quick bow to Harima.

" I'm sorry Harima…the bell is going to ring soon…I shouldn't keep you anymore." she spout, taking a few steps away to let him leave.

" Yeah…I suppose if there's one day I'm not late to class…it outta be today…" jested Harima as he gave Yakumo a wave and returned to climbing the stairs.

Sure enough, as soon as he was through the door, the bell rang and he took a sear wherever available. Soon, Mr. Tani walked through the doorway and stood at the front of the class.

" Well…you're all probably as surprised as I am about this…but I guess that I was assigned to be your homeroom teacher. It was kind of nice learning that I would get bumped up to teaching third years. Of course…" he continued talking while Harima sat back in his chair staring out the window across the room, letting Tani's words bounce harmlessly off his mind.

Finally though, seating assignments were being decided, and so, Harima picked his out of the jar.

" Seat 1-5? First column, fifth seat? Right by the window?" he asked, almost surprised.

" Seems so. But please try to pay attention in class Harima. Otherwise I'll have to move you." Tani warned.

" Yeah, yeah…" Harima muttered as he made his way to his seat.

Of course, he didn't heed the teachers advice and began to just stare out the window while the rest of the class began to file into their newly assigned seats. However, a sudden feeling of overwhelming irritation began to radiate from right behind him, and sure enough, as he turned around, he was greeted by Eri Sawachika's angry amber eyes.

" How could I get so unlucky…" she began to mutter, looking to see Mikoto and Akira seated all the way across the room, leaving her isolated with Harima to her front, Jirou Yoshidayama to her diagonal, and Ryuuhei Suga to her immediate right.

" You gotta be kidding me…you mean I've gotta put up with you right behind me this whole time?" Harima said quietly, unsure of his newly prized seat.

" What are you talking about? I'm the one surrounded by scheming weirdo's while my friends are all across the room from me…god this can't get much worse." Eri complained.

Before shooting his mouth off some more and causing them to quarrel more in their usual manner, he gave her words, some thought before answering…for once.

" Yeah…well…I guess that does kinda suck." he agreed before turning back to face the front.

His sudden agreement with her opinion caught Eri off guard. Certainly, he did have his moments where he could be a decent individual, and even have some depth of character…but it was very rare for him to agree or empathize with her. Quickly, her aura died off and she now sat somewhat meekly in her desk, ignoring the lecture while thoughts ran through her mind.

Time ran on, and eventually, the first day of school ended without too many hitches. Harima tiredly stood up from his desk, and walked past the few students left over on cleanup duty. As he exited into the hall, he heard Eri call him out from across the walk way.

" Hige! Over here." she called.

He wasn't quick to approach, but didn't completely take his time.

" So what's up Oujo?" he asked curiously.

" Well…" she started to say before her feelings, emotions, and rationale' began to fight with one another.

Her face began to redden up slightly. It wasn't like this was a big deal at all…but at the same time…it was. His face contorted into slight confusion as her eyes revealed her uncertainty in her words.

" Just spit it out Oujo…never knew you as someone who couldn't say what was on your mind…" he stated, though mired in both complement as well as insult.

" Yeah, yeah. Anyways, Nakamura and Masaru are both busy doing a lot of work for my Mother today. And I need a ride from school to the store so I can grab some things. Can you help me out?" the blond asked, rather point blank.

Harima took a moment to think. He didn't really have much planned for the afternoon anyhow, and wouldn't have to work till the next evening. Still, he wasn't sure if it was a completely good idea to help her out. After all, he didn't want people getting the wrong idea. Then again though, he was supposed to be her fiancé, and knew that he may not have a choice. Real men didn't go back on their words, no matter what…That idea had been coming back to haunt him more and more since he had agreed to help Eri out.

" To the store, and then your place?" he asked.

" Yeah. If you want, I can give you gas money…or something to eat or whatever. I just need someone to help me run my errands…" she explained, almost pleadingly.

He gave a sigh. It wasn't as though he could be easily bought, but since he began living on his own again, money was tight and the offering of food stoked his stomach into agreeing with the request with a loud grumble. Eri gave a surprised look, moving her gaze from his shrouded eyes to his stomach, and then back.

" Sorry. Didn't really eat lunch today. Trying to budget all the bills and such, so I've cut back on my lunches for now…" he admitted.

She gave him a slightly softer smile, seeing a small weakness in his usually tough exterior. It was a rare moment, but she sort of relished it.

" Jeez Hige, you're hopeless." she joked, getting a slight chuckle out of Harima as well, " If you're that hungry, I'm sure we can work something out. Now let's hurry up and get out of here…"

With that, the pair walked out, chatting in a more friendly fashion all the way to where Harima's bike awaited their adventures in shopping.


	4. Guily as a Woman

The L Boogie: So…HI! And here I go coming back from a long disappearing act. Life is…well…ya know…busy at times. I've actually been sorta wishy washy about what I've been wanting to write lately, and suddenly, I get a great review. Funny thing about reviews though…it's kind of a pain in the ass…I mean…I hate disappointing folks, and every time I get a review (especially a good one), I remember that I'm disappointing someone if they actually like my work. I know how it feels to be on the other end too, so I look at it as unwelcome motivation since I'm such a slacker.

So I guess I should really get this one back and in the works. I do like my idea for it's story anyways, but I'm gonna have to plot it out a bit more carefully. But I'm kinda tired and getting bored of writing this Author's note, so let's just get to this story!

Oh! I also did a slight modification of the previous chapter. Took out some of the stuff at the beginning cause I thought " Ya know…I'm just not the kinda guy who can pull this sort of thing off…". I had some idea that I sorta borrowed from somewhere else about giving glimpses to the future of the story…Let me tell you…I'm disorganized as all get out, so there's no way I could really effectively pull that thing off with the proper dramatic appeal. So I just canned it. The changes were minor otherwise. Anyhow…like I said earlier, let's just get to this here story!

And also, to anyone who has been waiting around for me to get off my lazy ass and work on this…I'm really sorry, and I appreciate that you still actually give a crap about my work. It means quite a lot to me actually.

Legal Crapola: If I had a dime for every time I've tried to come up with something witty for my Legal info section…I'd probably be rich. If I got a dime for every one that was witty, I doubt I'd have much more than lint in my pockets. Regardless, I'm poor and sometimes (and currently) broke. So, I'll just say that only the story is mine. Characters and settings are generally owned by Mr. Jin Koboyashi. So there. Now leave me alone, evil blood sucking, money stealing, lawyers…CAN'T GET BLOOD FROM STONE!

**Pandemonium Roulette: A School Rumble Fan Fiction**

**Chapter 3: Guilty as a Woman**

A glance up to the clock suggested that Yakumo had not been very productive in her homework assignment this evening. With another glance down at the paper, she once again reread the various problems typed before her, and with her pencil, tapped the paper while she began to unravel the solutions. It was closing on nine at night, and she didn't want to be up late with such a simple assignment, but her day had been a bit hectic to say the least.

On top of dealing with the new school year ruckus, she also had to work this afternoon. She didn't end up getting home until 8:30, and thankfully Sarah had already made dinner so she wouldn't have to. But that wasn't the real problem. Nor was it the page in front of her with the various equations. No, this problem ran quite a bit deeper, and had once again presented itself earlier in the day.

Her job at the café wasn't a bad one. Certainly, the owner having her dress up in various outfits was quite a bit embarrassing, but she didn't really mind either since it paid quite well and the patrons tended to tip more. Some usual customers had just sat down in one of their regular tables, right on time at around 4pm. They all commented on how her traditional Chinese dress really suited her, and as usual, she thanked them for the compliments but otherwise scurried off with their orders.

They weren't necessarily bad people. They were always friendly, never gave her trouble, and even cleaned up a bit after themselves so as to make her job easier. But it was still never any easier to work around people who had your body constantly on their mind. While not all their thoughts were lewd, they were generally far from wholesome. With some degree had she just gotten used to it, though there had been times in her life, and especially at the café, where this had been a bewildering and sometimes terrifying experience.

But still…this wasn't the problem that was plaguing her attention and drawing it away from her studies.

Indeed, after this group had come in and she had gotten their beverages, she took a few minutes to clean some of the windows from the inside, and enjoyed the view of the low afternoon sun in the sky. She was excited for the warm up in the weather and began to ponder taking some time within the next few weeks to clean out the storage shed and air out all the mattresses. It was then she caught the glimpse of something whizzing through the streets, heading in her general direction. As it slowed down, she recognized it as Harima on his motorcycle. She blushed a light shade of pink in some excitement, hoping that he was coming to stop by, and watched as he pulled to a stop at the light across the street. It was then that she had noticed he carried a passenger.

Seated at the rear of the bike with her arms wrapped around his waist was Eri Sawachika. In her hands, she was carrying a few bags from a local grocery store as well as a few different clothing stores. She was beaming a bright smile and pointing in various directions, likely suggesting more places for the two of them to visit. They exchanged words, and once the light changed colors, she braced herself tightly against him and they took off down the street without even a glimpse towards the café.

She felt a slight tightening in her chest at the sight and had begun just staring into space while replaying the scene in her head before one of the café patrons had snapped her out of it, causing her some further embarrassment at her lack of attention. With almost 4 more hours of work to go, she knew she was in for a rough time of it.

And so, Yakumo stared on and on at the homework assignment, replaying the events of the day in her head and not paying it any real attention. Once the clock chimed 9, Sarah stepped into the living room where Yakumo was, wearing her pajama's with her hair wrapped up in a towel.

" Hey Yakumo, the bath is yours. Why don't you go take one." she suggested.

" Oh, thanks Sarah…I just need to finish this first. I'll take one later…" Yakumo answered, her voice filled with hesitation.

Sarah walked over to where Yakumo was seated and saw the blank page set out before her.

" I thought it was strange that you weren't done…but you haven't even gotten started yet. That's not good Yakumo…" Sarah scolded, though lightly.

" I know…it's just…I'm having a hard time concentrating, that's all…" explained Yakumo, with an exhausted sigh.

" Do you wanna talk about it?" the blond offered with a smile.

Yakumo's eyes dropped and looked away towards the floor, contemplating the offer.

" Maybe later Sarah. I might go take a bath first and see if it'll help me clear my head…" she responded, after some careful consideration.

" Alright then. And just cause I'm a super awesome friend…I'll let you copy my homework…" Sarah playfully teased as she walked out of the room.

The younger Tsukamoto stood up from her seat at the table with a long stretch and walked off into the bathroom, disrobing herself and prepared a bath. The mixture of hot water and steam eased her body and softened her mind, allowing herself a chance to finally relax. No homework, no job, no dealing with strangers and schoolmates…it was the best reprieve she could ask for. Leaning back in the tub, she watched the steam float about carelessly, and immediately her thoughts had wandered to Harima.

He was quite a bit of an enigma to Yakumo. He had a gruff exterior and was known for solving his problems with brute force. Dangerous, feared, and a derelict to modern society, his reputation was well earned. But despite all that, she was privy to his many other sides, like his awkward and clumsy attempts at kindness, his care and concern for animals, and his surprisingly mature views on love and relationships.

It hadn't been all that long ago that Yakumo had resigned herself to having romantic feelings for him. She had fought them long and hard, trying to trick herself that it was just her seeking a male, almost fatherly figure in her life. She had known about his infatuation with her older sister, and she did her very best to try and direct Tenma's affections towards Harima. But it ate away at her bit by bit, and the more she schemed to get the two of them together, the more painful it became for her to push him away. Eventually, she could no longer resign herself to it. This emotion…this love…had been for more than just a friend, or a paternal figure…no…she had wanted that pure and compassionate love he had burning in his chest, for her and her alone.

It's caused her to learn more about herself. When she was younger, she was often impatient and short with Tenma, and after the loss of their parents, Tenma had really pushed herself to grow up for Yakumo. For that, she always felt indebted, and swore that she'd always do her best and support her sister, because she knew that no matter what, Tenma never did anything out of selfish or malicious desires. But as Tenma and Harima would grow closer, Yakumo couldn't help but grow somewhat bitter towards her older sister.

This love has even caused her to become somewhat violent.

In the myriad and plethora's of misunderstands surrounding Harima, none have been more complex than when Eri was involved. It had been made obvious long ago that she had a strong romantic affection for him, despite their casual and sometimes hostile demeanor towards one another. Yakumo often wondered if Eri had these same thoughts and emotions running through her heart and mind regarding Harima, Tenma, and even herself. The two of them had clashed a number of times over it, and one time, she even slapped Eri across the face and loudly scolded her for being a bad friend to Tenma.

But deep down, Yakumo knew that they both had felt the same way. And as Eri had been a bad friend to Tenma, Yakumo had been a bad sister as well. But no one slapped or scolded her. And sometimes, she honestly felt like she really would have deserved it.

But at the same time, despite it's flaws, this love has had a positive impact on Yakumo. First and foremost is simply the contact she and Harima have. Even if it's not intimate, she does get a decent amount of private time for just the two of them. It's one of those little guilty pleasures that she has never really talked about in detail to anyone. Secondly, she has become more vocal, and a much stronger person as a result. Seeing him work so hard, despite his flaws and setbacks, has given her a newer resolve to do the things she finds hard in life. Third, it has really brought Yakumo out of her otherwise slightly introverted shell.

So despite it's flaws, drawbacks, setbacks, and periodical casualties, this love she feels in her heart for him…it's a most wonderful thing.

Self introspection was nothing new to Yakumo. She was very self conscious about many things, including her looks, her grades, and her friends. For a girl with a modelesque physique, top scoring grades, and is practically an icon at the school, one would not think she had such issues…but she is quite concerned about them. But now, this was something she could not directly control, for the most part. Her grades were good because she studied and tried hard on all her assignments. Her looks were good because she did her best to stay in shape and was a natural beauty (though she would never ever admit it). And though she is popular without trying, she does her best to contain her fans and to keep a low profile otherwise.

But no matter how hard Yakumo tried to change subjects and look to other means to occupy her thoughts, they always traced back to this afternoon.

Seeing the pair of them riding around so carefree on his motorcycle…she felt jealous. It wasn't like she had never ridden it before with him…but it was the look on Eri's face as she was laughing and smiling. It was the look on Harima's face as he gave her a shy and gentle smile, one Yakumo knew to be his genuine smile. Even more, it was the fact that it wasn't the two of them sharing that moment, right then and there. Yakumo envied Eri for a number of reasons. One seemed to be that the two of them were quite open and honest about things. Maybe with the exception of her affections, they seemed to be one the level with one another.

Another was that their attitudes and personalities tended to complement one another. They were both earnest people, just in their own way. But together, everything seemed to come much more naturally.

With no ability to resolve her situation currently, Yakumo decided it was best just to relax a bit more, then when she got out, she would finish her homework and go to bed. As she got out of the bath and finished rinsing and drying herself off, it was then that she realized he forgot her bath robe, so she wrapped her towel around herself instead and headed out into the hallway.

Not three steps down however, Yakumo stopped abruptly in the midst of her stride. For stationed just a few feet from her was none other than Harima Kenji himself. He was standing in the hallway facing her, and it was obvious to both of them that they had both seen one another. The pair stood like statues in the hallway, as Harima began to choke out an apology and an excuse while stammering the whole way, Yakumo was fraught with embarrassment, wearing only a slightly damp towel that barely clung otherwise to her body. As his attempt to force out an excuse failed to launch, her level of embarrassment rose through the roof, suggested visually through the darkening shades of crimson that blushed her cheeks.

Slowly, she finally was able to find the strength to try and retreat. She didn't want to make a scene of it, but the sheer amount of embarrassment she was feeling was enough to make her heart stop. Finally, she was able to work the strength up to dash around a corner and take up a defensive posture with the wall as her cover.

"H…Harima? What are you doing here?" she stammered, her voice obviously on the edge of a shriek.

" No wait! It's not…I mean…I just…uhhh…crap…what was it…" he continued to stammer.

Still unable to align his thoughts, she poked her head out from around the corner just slightly. Going on and on about how sorry he was and what his reason was for being there, and that he didn't mean anything by this whole situation, it didn't take long for her to get what he was trying to say. But despite all the racket he was making, there was a noise in the background that Yakumo caught a glimpse of. It was very faint, so she closed her eyes and concentrated on it.

'_Static?"_ she thought.

It waxed and waned in strength from faint to inaudible, and it seemed as though he couldn't hear it himself. After a few moments, it occurred to her what it might be from, and so, stricken with a sudden bout of curiosity and courage, she stepped out from around the corner, despite being clad in nothing but a damp towel.

She took a cautious step towards him and placed a hand on his shoulder, shushing him and doing her best to calm him down. In a way, he was more flustered then she may have been. As he quieted down, they stood and stared at each other in a moment of silence. She could still faintly hear that soft static in her ears, and now was the time to confirm it for herself. She swallowed hard and despite the obvious blush of nervousness she bore on her face, she took a step back and straightened her posture a bit. She was now entirely in Harima's view, and as she straightened her back, she allowed her towel to slide down some and expose her breasts and cleavage quite a bit. The towel itself held tightly to every curve and flat of her abdomen and bottom, and stopped just above her mid thigh, And while she found this almost excruciating due to the fact that she's never really shown this much skin around another man, she bore it as best she could.

And it resulted into what seemed like an explosion of static. In fact it hurt her ears initially to where she almost had to cover them, but was afraid that if she did, her towel would fall off.

Regardless, she'd had enough of this and if it continued any longer, she may very well faint. With a quick apology, she retreated through the hallway and into her room where she was able to slip on her pajama's.

'_I can't believe I just did that…what's gotten into me?"she thought._

She had always been uncomfortable showing so much skin. Her bathing suits were either the school assigned grey one piece, or a white and red one piece that didn't allow for her cleavage to show. Now, her job at the café did require her to wear some more or less revealing items, it was at least work, and even then it was never too over the top. At least, nothing like the stunt she just pulled in the hall. Her face was scorched red from her blushing so much, and her body shook wearily to match. After a few minutes of clearing her head and some deep breaths, she finally emerged from within her room in order to go and greet Harima a little more sensibly.

In the living room, Harima sat by the coffee table, his face awash with blush as he grumbled to himself. Sarah sat opposite him with a wide smile across her face.

" You shouldn't be so hard on yourself Harima. It's nobody's fault, just bad timing…" she cheered.

" You say that…but jeez…I was just hoping one of you guys could explain some of this homework to me…It's kind of embarrassing to ask a couple of second years, but I don't really know anyone else that might help me…" he pouted, " But I really embarrassed her back there Sarah. I think I should just go home…"

" Don't talk like that. It won't kill her and I'm sure by tomorrow it'll be like it never happened. And anyways, you need some help right? Yakumo's great at math so I'm sure she could help you out." said the younger blond.

He grumbled again, still feeling a bit guilty for putting Yakumo in such a predicament. But he needed some help with his math homework and he decided that maybe he should actually try a bit harder in his studies this year. Plus, it would make a good example for a school based Manga he had begun cooking up on one of the back burners of his mind. Finally, without any more delay, Yakumo stepped out from the hallway and carefully made her way to a seat at the coffee table. She was adorned in light blue pajama's and had her hair pulled back in a pony tail.

" I'm sorry about all of that earlier Harima…" she began to say.

" No!" he yelped, alerting the neighbors and anyone passing by on a low flying aircraft of his embarrassed insistence, " I mean…it's my fault. I probably should have called or something…"

He looked away sheepishly, obviously still bewildered by the earlier encounter. Yakumo shook her head with a gentle blush.

" It's fine Harima, we'll just move on from that. So what did you want?" she asked, not seemingly concerned that it was a little bit past ten at night.

" Oh…well I just wanted a bit of help with some homework. I know it's weird to ask for your help since you're a year below me…but I don't get it at all and I know you're pretty good at this stuff. Can you help a guy out here?" he pleaded.

" Yeah, that's fine. Here, let me take a look at it…" Yakumo said looking over the page.

As the two huddled a bit closer, Sarah took this as the best moment to slip out. She watched them for a bit from the other room with a soft smile as Yakumo proceeded to try and teach Harima various math principals and formula's. After a few minutes, she wandered off into her room, lipping a silent cheer for Yakumo as she continued to play tutor. After a few hours, Harima departed slightly the wiser with his homework completed. Seeing him off, Yakumo allowed herself to enjoy a more confident smile as she replayed the sound of static she heard in her coming from Harima throughout the evening. And with that, it made the memory of watching Harima and Eri ride around together on the motorcycle earlier in the day, which bothered her so, seem like a fleeting instance.


	5. Longing for that Warm, Safe, Place

The L Boogie: This chapter is all about the sandwich. And no, not that one. But another one, and you'll know what I mean when you get to it. Mmmm…sandwich…think I'll go make one when I get done with this authors note.

Just a shout out and thank you for the reviews. Sorry I'm a bit here and there with it, but I'm trying to find whatever time I can to write. As usual, I think my best stuff happens in the middle of the night, and it kinda sucks when I gotta job that I go to in the earlyish morning…but eh. What else am I gonna do? I'm a night owl. But I hate working at night. Working in the morning rocks. Give me my afternoon and evening and night time to play. Of course I pay for it every morning…but that's just the way it is.

Still not sure how many chapters I wanna make this. Maybe 15 or 20? I don't like shooting for long hauls, but there's a bunch of story I gotta line up after all. I mean, I did have some ideas for it back when I penned it like…2 or 3 years ago. And I go back to it every once in a while cause that's what I do in my spare time. Truly, I have a pair of stories I'd love to write (one completely original, one is a massive…and I mean MASSIVE Anime crossover) but I don't think I'll ever get the time. Cause I still wanna finish this one up, and then I wanna do one more School Rumble story, and then go and clean up and fix my Naruto story, and then…who the heck knows…

And there I go rambling again. That sammich ain't makin itself. So thanks in advance for the reads, reviews, criticisms, and grammar Nailing (cause I right this crap at night when I'm not always in my best state of mind for not making mistakes…but for some reason the creative brain juices flow a lot better then…weird…)

And again, I ramble. Stop reading this damn authors note and read the damn story instead. Now then…off to make that sammich!

Legal Crapola: If I had a dime for every time I've tried to come up with something witty for my Legal info section…I'd probably be rich. If I got a dime for every one that was witty, I doubt I'd have much more than lint in my pockets. Regardless, I'm poor and sometimes (and currently) broke. So, I'll just say that only the story is mine. Characters and settings are generally owned by Mr. Jin Koboyashi. So there. Now leave me alone, evil blood sucking, money stealing, lawyers…CAN'T GET BLOOD FROM STONE!

**Pandemonium Roulette: A School Rumble Fan Fiction**

**Chapter 4: Longing for that Warm, Safe, Place**

" Yakumo! Hey Yakumo!" a voice called.

The raven haired young woman pulled her head up from the pillow she had made out of her arms, and looked about with a tired expression.

Sarah stood over her with a slightly concerned expression.

" Yakumo, you gotta wake up. It'd be bad if you were late to school…" Sarah expressed.

" Sorry…I just didn't get a lot of sleep last night…I thought I'd take a short nap since I had some spare time after making our lunches…" Yakumo explained, tiredly.

" Well, try to snap out of it if you can. I have to go in early, so you'll be on your own heading to school. See ya." she called, heading out the door.

Yakumo saw her off, then went back into the kitchen to clean up some of the dishes. She went to bed extra late the previous night (or more accurately early morning) due to tutoring Harima and having to finish her own homework. In a mere few minutes, she had the kitchen tidied up, so she wandered back into the living room and took a seat by the coffee table to watch the morning news. The reports were nothing out of the ordinary, some stories about politics, some stories about the economic recession, and just a few local issues. For Yakumo, they all seemed to pass by in a blur.

Soon, there was a banging at the door. Yakumo lifted her head up off the coffee table and wearily looked in the direction of the entrance. Immediately, she realized that she had fallen asleep and was quick to spring up from her seat. A quick glance over her shoulder at the clock suggested that she only had a few minutes to get to school, and in a panic, she rushed to the door and flung it open. There stood Harima, with a slightly confused look on his face.

Yakumo always kept her looks very pristine. Her hair was always brushed and kept neat, her clothes ironed and crisp, and her demeanor was usually calm and collected. But for the first time in his life, he had seen her hair all a mess, her clothes slightly crumpled, and her expression confused and bewildered. Through labored breathing, she was able to gasp his name aloud.

" Oh…Harima…what are you doing here?" she asked, somewhat frantically.

" Uhhh hey. I just thought I'd stop by and see if you wanted a ride to school. I figured you might have slept in, no thanks to having to help me out with my homework last night." he offered, a bit embarrassed.

" Uh…yeah, that would be great." she answered, still in a bit of a bewilderment.

Turning quickly back into the house, she grabbed her school bag and quickly adjusted her hair and uniform to appear less disheveled. Afterwards, they were off and speeding through the streets towards school, making inside the gate with only a scant minute or two to spare.

" I'm sorry about the trouble Harima…thank you for the ride…" Yakumo apologized with a bow.

" Don't say that Imouto-san, it's all my fault to begin with. Anyways we better get going. Be a waste if we were late now." he responded.

The pair walked inside and parted ways, reaching their classrooms with almost no time to spare. 3-C was it's usual noisy self, with the various circles of friends grouped around each other's desk chatting about the happenings of the previous night. As Harima walked in, the bell sounded and Mr. Tani was right on his heels, ready and eager to begin class.

The morning passed on and Harima was at times attempting to be attentive, but many times bored and feeling in over his head, seeking solace in his view from the window. During the breaks between classes, he and Eri would converse lightly, and then at times he would simply nap, if only for a few minutes. At lunch, Eri gathered with Akira and Mikoto and the trio discussed plans for the evening.

" How about a movie tonight? It's been a while and there's a few good ones in the theaters. You guys in?" Mikoto asked.

" I can't. I've got work." Akira stated in her usual monotone fashion.

" Come on, can't you call off or something?" Eri protested, straightening her posture and furrowing her brow slightly.

" No can do. I told my boss I'd fill in for him tonight. Someone's gotta run the place." she retorted, her demeanor unfazed by Eri.

" Jeez, this sucks. You're working more and more Akira, and Tenma is off in America…it's so unfair." the blond further protested.

" You make it sound like hanging out with me is so terrible…" Mikoto ribbed.

" That's not what I mean and you know it…" Eri responded quickly, her temper flaring a bit more, " It's just that…I feel like it's happening too fast. We're barely in our third year, and yet we're missing out on our youth. We should be going out, having fun, meeting guys…I dunno…just seems like we're a bit young to be staying inside all the time…"

" If you really wanna go out that bad, I suppose I can get off a little early on Saturday night. And we won't have school the next day, so it wouldn't hurt us to be out late either." reasoned Akira.

" Sure, that sounds like fun…I'm in!" Mikoto cheered in her usual confidence.

Lunch continued on and three chatted about various other facets of their life, like Mikoto's martial arts and Eri's recount of some dinner party she had to recently attend. All the while Harima sat alone at his desk with his head pressed against the hard wood, still trying to grab a bit of extra sleep. He himself had to work tonight, and while a janitor for a medical building wasn't the hardest or most exhausting job imaginable, he also wanted to make sure he was rested enough to pitch his newest story ideas to Yakumo and start working on a storyboard the following evening.

The next few hours passed by swiftly enough. Again, Harima went through stages of trying to be interested in the lecture, getting bored and staring out the window, and even a brief third nap. Upon the final bell, he awoke to a rough shake by Eri, who verbally accosted him.

" Hige, stop being an idiot and pay more attention in class…" she scolded.

His rousing was rather unfriendly, and so he returned it in kind.

" Get lost Oujo…I gotta get some extra shut eye since I'm workin' tonight…" Harima hissed.

" You mean work on your manga?" Eri inquired with a sharp tone of annoyance.

" I wish…gotta work to pay the bills…" Harima answered tiredly, turning away and laying his head back down.

Her amber eyes fixed upon him, and her irritation quickly dissolved at his somewhat drawl tone.

" Why did you ever move out in the first place? If you lived at home, you'd have more time and money to spend." the heiress pried.

Harima slowly opened his eyes and gave her a harder look than she expected. He was never keen on talking about his past with others, no matter who they were.

" I like my space, Oujo…" he said, sharply hinting that he wasn't interested in this conversation.

With that, he turned away from her and closed his eyes, trying not to get angry.

' _What's her deal…she ain't got no business asking about any of that.'_

Eri gave a somewhat concerned look at Harima as he turned away from her. A tightening in her chest only seemed to exasperate her sudden anxiety.

' _It's not like I don't expect him to have some crappy life growing up, he is a bit of a thug after all…but I wish he'd talk about it or something…Jeez Hige…why does everything become ten times more difficult when you're involved…'_

She sighed, then put her hand on his back and shook him a bit more gently. He shot her an annoyed look as he was still feeling a bit drowsy.

" Come on Hige, if you're going to sleep, do it somewhere beside school…" she voiced with concern.

Her words echoed through his mind for a moment, and with a slight groan he stood up with a stretch and a yawn.

" I suppose you're right Oujo…" he agreed, cracking a few bones in his shoulders and neck.

The class was mostly empty at this point, with only a couple stragglers remaining in their seats, texting or otherwise on their cellphones. As the pair left the classroom together, Eri turned to him with a slight bit of blush to her cheek.

" Hey, you hungry at all? I thought it might be nice to stop by the café and get something to drink. Wanna come with me? Akira's busy and it seems like Mikoto doesn't wanna go out unless it's all of us…so maybe we can kill some time…or something." she asked, a bit nervously.

" Uhhh, sure, why not. Probably help me wake up…" he confirmed without little pause for thought.

His stomach let out a faint growl in anticipation at the thought of food. The pair shared a quiet laugh at it, and continued on towards the exit.

" You mind letting me hitch a ride again today Hige?" Eri asked, her eyes more alight now than earlier.

Her expression was much softer than it had been, and her eyes seemed to sparkle more than usual. Harima felt a bit uncertain of himself suddenly, but brushed it off, thinking that it may just be that he's hungry.

" Sure…no big deal." he said, leading her off to where he usually stowed his bike.

He took his seat and fired up the engine, handing his helmet to Eri who fastened it on and adjusted it to fit. She hopped on behind him and wrapped her arms across his abdomen, bracing herself against his back as he took off, speeding down the street. The pair would arrive at a café not far from the school and they took seats inside. The meal was simple, a small salad for Eri so as not to spoil her appetite for dinner, and a sandwich for Harima, loaded with everything he could ask for so he wouldn't need dinner.

As their meal went on, the pair conversed lightly about various subjects, mostly relating to school. Harima couldn't put his finger on it, but as time went on, he began to have a strange feeling about this whole thing. They did the same thing yesterday. It wasn't much different really, but for some reason, he had a feeling that it was. Or was beginning to feel like it was different. He glanced about the room from behind his sunglasses, doing his best to make it look like he wasn't nervous or suspicious to his table mate. There were other couples here. In fact, the place was practically crawling with them.

A thought echoed through his head that this shouldn't bother him. He entertained it a bit in a very short amount of time.

' _Of course this is normal, right? I mean, we're just out here to eat. We're…friends…sorta.'_

Friends. That thought was somewhat of a foreign idea when it came to Eri…hell, just about anyone for that matter. To be honest though, he wasn't entirely certain as to where she ever stood with him. Especially since that beating she gave him near the end of last semester…

' _We're supposed to be fiancée's…but that's only so her parents get off her case about that arranged marriage crap. But…I guess we are kinda friends though. Right? Like me and Immouto-san…'_

And that thought suddenly spurred another thought.

' _But Immouto-san only really helps me out with my manga. Still, she's always nice to me. But we don't really do much else…so are we even really that good of friends? She did help me with my homework last night…so I guess so…_

It donned on Harima that he was due some self introspection. It wasn't something he loved to do. His life was somewhat complicated. Partially due to his own mistakes, some due to the worlds enjoyment of his misery, so it wasn't something he liked to try and sort out. Still though, this was becoming a pressing issue, especially as he suddenly realized he was being called out by Eri.

" Hige! Come on, listen to me for cryin out loud…" she grumbled, almost exasperated.

" Uh…sorry. It was a good sandwich." he apologized in tandem with a stupid lie to cover his tracks.

" Anyways, I wanted to talk with you a bit. There's a formal dinner coming up within a few weeks…and my father would like you to be there since…you know…" she trailed off a bit, feeling a bit embarrassed to refer to him as her fiancé'.

" Oh? Is this one of those big time hoity-toity kind of things?" Harima asked.

" Yeah. Especially since you've never met my Dad. So there's going to be some extended family as well as a few close friends of my fathers. I need you to be there for it…if you don't mind." she again asked, seemingly a bit more sheepishly.

He wasn't used to her asking for favors. Or appearing so suddenly fragile. Was she always like this? Again, Harima wanted to consider these things, but now wasn't the time or place.

" Sure, I should probably be able to get off work. Is there anything I'll need for it?" he questioned, fearing the worst.

" Proper party attire…a nice suit and tie, you should try and be cleanly shaven…you know…formal." she explained, feeling a bit frustrated at the thought of having to explain what she defines as common sense, " You'll also have to exercise correct table manners and politeness."

" Whaddya mean 'Exercise correct table manners and politeness'?" he shot, somewhat offended.

She gave him a flat look, knowing full well he had no knowledge of what he was talking about. As he slurped his soda through his straw, she reached out and smacked him directly on the forehead.

" Sit up straight." she commanded.

Again, she accosted him, this time pinching the back of his hand.

" No elbows on the table! And where should your dinnerware be?" she barked, her expression growing more grim.

" Dinnerware? Like my knife and fork, or like chopsticks? In my hands…or by the plate…" Harima guessed, half assedly.

" No! They have a place on the table for each one! And you have to know how to use them and which to use when! God you're such and idiot. This is what's called proper etiquette…" Eri complained, her frustration growing more visible.

" Proper etiquette? More like proper bullshi-.." he complained before being interrupted.

" That's what I mean. This is stuff you have to know…if you're going to be my fiancé'." she declared.

He dipped his head down a bit and allowed his sunglasses to slip down his nose a bit in order to get a better look at her. She gasped a bit seeing this look, knowing full well that she just hit a hot button issue, as his eyes had almost a predatory gaze.

" Let me ask…how long do we have to keep this whole thing up?" he asked in what was almost a low growl.

She fidgeted in her seat a bit, looking off to the side, unable to meet his gaze. She hated it when he was right, and this was something that had to be discussed eventually. But she really didn't want to just give this up just yet, as she sort of hoped that through this arrangement, she could spend more time with him, and maybe even win over his affections.

" I don't know. I mean, I guess I'm not likely to get sent back to England anymore since the new school year started…but I can't say for certain. Do you mind keeping it up for a bit longer? I know it's a lot to ask, it's just that I want a normal school life, and having to dodge arranged marriages and such is killing me." she said in frustration, her eyes with just a hint of blurriness to them, " If you wanna stop, it's fine. You've held up your end long enough…"

Seeing her in such a nearly defeated state, this must have meant she was rather serious about the issue. Though this arrangement made between the two of them wasn't the easiest of things, it was by no means too out of the way for Harima. After a moment of thought, he lightened his gaze and slipped his sunglasses back up his face and seemed to return to his more usual self.

" It's fine. I just wanna know that we're doing this for the right reasons. I ain't askin' for anything in return, so I just wanted to make things a bit more clear." he answered, seemingly to her relief.

She had felt her heart jump up into her throat just a moment ago, but now it settled back into her chest and beat just a bit more quickly at his positive response. He offered her a smile as he tried to adjust himself a bit more to fit in with proper etiquette, taking a knife and fork in hand and began to cut the sandwich up, mimicking it in poor fashion.

" So is this how it works? Man, I feel like a million bucks already." he joked, gently plucking the small square of sandwich from his fork with his teeth while adjusting his napkin to form a bib.

Eri's relief blossomed into a warm grin as she took the jest as tongue in cheek. She then began to jokingly nit pick that his pinky fingers weren't raised or that he wasn't ridged as a machine in his movements, and the pair continued to joke around and otherwise mangle this supposed 'proper etiquette' until there was nothing really left of Harima's food to play with.

Finally, it was getting late in the afternoon, and Harima dropped Eri off at her mansion. With a friendly goodbye, he took off speeding down the street, heading out to his workplace. Eri stood in place for as long as he remained in sight, watching his back as he sped off. She shivered just a bit when a light breeze picked up, and had a realization that his back was warm, and that when she was riding with him on his motorcycle, she was never actually cold. In fact, in was there that she felt her warmest, and strangely, her safest and most comfortable.

Once he was out of sight, she slowly headed into her house, greeting Nakamura at the door as he took her bags and informed her of the evenings plans. Dinner in an hour, and that he would draw her bath around nine. She thanked him and headed up stairs and stealing away to the privacy of her bedroom. Eri plopped down on the bed and rolled onto her stomach, burying her face into the pillow.

'_It's not the same…'_

She again thought of that soft warm back that had endured an untold number of hardships and toils. Everyone was well acquainted with Harima through his reputation, however she was one of only a very select few who have really gotten to see him for who he really was. He was kind, if not clueless, caring if not a bit abrasive, and thoughtful, if not a bit ignorant. For every flaw he had, and he had many, he had at least one good thing about him as well. She tightened her grip around her pillow, pulling it tightly against her body as she curled around it some more and closed her eyes. She didn't often give into such childish fantasies as to pretend, but every once in a while it was nice. And this time, she thought of the two of them as they rode around on his motorcycle, and how that warm back was equally soft as it was strong. Though it wasn't the real thing, she supposed this would do for now, and allowed that playful and relaxing fantasy sooth her body and mind into a blissful and relaxing slumber.


End file.
